- cross-posted to:
- usnews@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- usnews@beehaw.org
New Mexico state representatives Stefani Lord and John Block are calling for the impeachment of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham after Grisham issued an emergency order suspending the right to carry firearms in public in and around Albuquerque, the state’s largest city.
The governor on Friday issued an emergency order suspending the right to carry firearms in public across Albuquerque and the surrounding county for at least 30 days amid a spate of gun violence.
“This is an abhorrent attempt at imposing a radical, progressive agenda on an unwilling populace. Rather than addressing crime at its core, Governor Grisham is restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners,” the statement from Lord read.
Grisham said she felt compelled to act in response to gun deaths, including the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy outside a minor league baseball stadium this week.
The ban was issued as part of a declaration of a public health emergency involving gun violence. There is a ton of precedent for public health and safety taking priority over all. The classic example is that it is constitutional for the government to prevent you from trying to exercise your First Amendment right to free speech by yelling “Fire” in a crowded movie theater.
This is no different from that: there is a public health and safety issue preventing people from trying to exercise their Second Amendment rights as embodied¹ by New Mexico law.
¹ accurately or not